Instructional Strategies

Rick Riordan once said “ Fair isn't everybody getting the same thing, fair is everybody

getting what they need to be successful” (Riordan, 2011). In my opinion, one of the single most

important evidence-based instructional strategies is differentiating instruction. Differentiation

involves making changes to the knowledge and skills the students need to master (content,) the

activities the students use to master the content (process,) and the method the students use to

demonstrate learning (product) (The IRIS Center, 2010). One of the ways educational

professionals can differentiate content is through providing tiered content. Tiered content is

where students are asked to complete the same activity, but the content varies in difficulty.

Typically, there will be three levels of difficulty (above level, on level and below level.)

Differentiating content allows instructors to meet the students' at their present levels of

performance. Another way teachers can support learners on the autism spectrum is through

scaffolding. Scaffolding is the process through which teachers add supports for students, in order

to enhance learning and aid in the mastery of tasks. As the student masters the task, supports are

gradually removed (The IRIS Center, 2010).

Another effective instructional strategy is universal design for learning. Universal design

for learning is an evidence-based strategy where teachers incorporate flexible materials,

techniques, and strategies for delivering instruction, and for students to demonstrate their

knowledge in a variety of ways (The IRIS Center, 2009). Universal design for learning throws

out the notion that all students are the same, and should be taught in the same way. When an

instructor incorporates universal design for learning, they teach content in a variety of ways.

Likewise, students are actively engaged in the learning process and are encouraged to explore
content, based on their personal interests. Lastly, they are allowed to show mastery of skills

through a variety of ways.

A third evidence-based instructional strategy is progress monitoring. Progress monitoring

is a way in which educators can systematically identify when to adjust instruction for struggling

students. Progress monitoring can be completed in a variety of ways, including diagnostic

assessment, formative assessment and summative assessments (The IRIS Center, 2019).

Specifically, formative assessment has been shown to improve learning outcomes of students

with disabilities, students who struggle and English learners (Madison-Harris & Muoneke,

2012). The data collected from these assessments can be plotted on a graph and watched

carefully over the course of several weeks. This allows educators to make data-based

instructional decisions and to see if the interventions they are implementing are effective.

Students who are on the autism spectrum can have a variety of deficits in the areas of

communication, socialization, behavior, as well as academics. It is best practice to support my

students academically through differentiation, universal design for learning and progress

monitoring. Additionally, it’s important to implement these strategies with fidelity. The content,

process and/or product can be differentiated, for example, by requiring my students do less

difficult independent reading. Likewise, I always try to provide reading material that contain

visual aids to help with their comprehension. Writing is supported through scaffolding with

sentence frames, paragraph frames, word banks, writing checklists and/or speech to text. Math is

differentiated through the use of manipulatives, visual models and requiring less items to be

completed per page.

When working with my students on the autism spectrum, universal design for learning is

effective because instruction can be tailored to their specific interests. For example, if my
students are required to write an essay, I allow them to research a topic they are interested in

instead of requiring them to write about a set topic. Likewise, if my students have an aversion to

writing or are not able to effectively organize their thoughts to create a lengthy report, I allow

them to create an infographic on poster board, build a diorama, or use technology to create a

podcast on the topic, etc.

Lastly, progress monitoring is essential when working with students on the autism

spectrum because data needs to be taken in order to measure progress on IEP goals. Curriculum-

based measurement is an effective tool for assessing and tracking my student’s progress over

time, determining whether the current instruction is helping my students learn, determining

whether my students are making progress towards IEP goals and effectively communicating

academic performance to my students, their parents, and other stakeholders (The IRIS Center,

2019).
 References

Madison-Harris, R.D., Muoneke, A., & Times, C. (2012). Using Formative Assessment to
Improve Student Achievement in the Core Content Areas. Briefing Paper.

Riordan, R. (2011). The red pyramid. New York: Scholastic.

The IRIS Center. (2010). Differentiated instruction: Maximizing the learning of all students.
Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/di/

The IRIS Center. (2009). Universal Design for Learning: Creating a learning environment that
challenges and engages all students. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/udl/

The IRIS Center. (2005, Rev. 2019). Progress monitoring: Reading. Retrieved from
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/pmr/